Bermuda Parent Bermuda Parent Spring 2015

big kids BY DR. RENEE SIMONS How’s Your Daughter’s Self-Image? tarting in early childhood, our self-image is influenced by interactions with parents and caregivers. Daughters imitate and identify with their mothers in powerful ways. Mothers’ of daughters’ are like mirrors reflecting back to them an image of themselves. Add to this our experiences with others such as teachers, friends, and family. Our relationships reinforce what we think and feel about our- selves. The image we see in the mirror may be a real or distorted view of who we really are. This results in positive or negative self-image. With a positive self-image, we recognize and own our positive attributes and potential, and are also aware and accepting of our limitations. Having a negative self-image means we focus on our weaknesses and limitations and have a distorted view of our failures and imperfections. This is an on-going process throughout life. We are constantly evaluating ourselves across many areas such as appearance (how do 30 Beautiful, intelligent, kind, friendly… what characteristics do you consider when describing your daughter? Would her descriptions match yours? Would you use similar words to describe yourself? Or would you use less flattering words such as ugly, overweight, or plain? The term ‘self-image’ is described as the personal view that we have of ourselves. Self-image is formed from the combination of our views of ourselves, how we think others see us, and how others actually see us. According to the Mayo Clinic, mothers are probably the most important influence on their daughter’s self-image.

Bermuda Parent Bermuda Parent Spring 2015 | Page 32